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© Dennis
'Digger' Nevins
7 Pl C Coy 2nd Tour |
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Foreword:
The author, Dennis (Digger)
Nevins was a machine gunner in 7
Platoon, C Company, 5th
Battalion, the Royal Australian
Regiment. The Battalion served
in Vietnam from February 1969 to
March 1970.
“Digger” kept very
comprehensive diaries of his
Vietnam service, and was known
by all as the gunner in the
bashed up slouch hat. Digger
chose this form of headwear over
the Army issue Bush Hat, in
respect of those who fought so
bravely on the Kokoda Trail, New
Guinea, in the Second World War.
Some diary entries have been sanitised to protect the
sensitivities of those who
haven’t experienced combat.
Here is Digger’s story of
the ambush of 9th – 11th
February 1970.
Don Harrod
18 July 2013
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9th February
We saddled up and moved out of the ambush we had
set on the 7th. We moved to a LZ (landing zone)
about 500 yards away. The going was fair, but a
lot of the country was covered with prickly
bush. We harboured next to a running creek and
the LZ at 1100 hours. The resupply didn’t arrive
until 1400, so in that time, we had a 'dobie'
(wash) and a shave. On the way to this LZ, we
crossed a good track about 100 metres from where
we harboured. Dave Nicholls came out on the
resupply and Marine, Masowita, Pica and Mulready
returned. I placed my gun in the killer group
which comprised Lt Ian Hosie, Jack Bradd
and Andy MacDougal.
10th February
Nothing yet, but Hosie is very confident with
this track, but I believe that if there is no
result today, the VC know we’re around.
1 Platoon with CHQ (Company Headquarters) made
contact on 8th Feb – they hit a platoon. The
result was 2 enemy KIA, 2 suspected KIA, and 4
suspected WIA. On contact, 1Platoon pulled back
100 yards and engaged with
M79. Normal
picquets were carried out. 8 Platoon found a
cache – a rice pit 8ft x 3ft x 3ft containing
200lb of rice, but if full, it would hold
1600lb. 9 Platoon also found a cache. Both were
mined with instantaneous grenades. One track was
mined with a
M16. 8 Platoon spotted 2 VC, but they shot
through. D Company hit 6 VC, and claimed 2 KIA,
2 possible WIA, and captured 2
AK47’s. Call
sign 6-2 hit 5 enemy dressed in greens, with 2
packs and papers captured. D Company has 12 KIAs
on this Op so far.
Normal picquets were carried out today. It is
now 1800, and 8 Platoon have been in contact
since 1630. They are in bunkers, and the VC are
fighting. These bunkers are very close to where
we engaged 84 Rear Services in September. 8
Platoon have employed gunships, but the VC
aren’t moving, so now the tanks are coming in. I
think that 5 of 8 Platoon have been wounded, but
none seriously. The CO is overhead with the
gunships. During this contact we were hearing
whispers that the enemy from the 8 Platoon
contact may withdraw out onto our track.
At 1900, our group were lying on our backs after
having tucker. I heard the shuffling of leaves.
It was a light shuffle and sounded like a pig
moving, but the senses said “No way”. We turned
onto our bellies – Jack, Andy and I were behind
a fallen log. My gun was on top of the log,
which at that moment was a bugger. The three of
us had to keep down below the top of the log,
but Hosie was at the end of it. I looked to see
what the boss was doing, and he was there with
his magic box of tricks waiting for the right
moment. When we set this ambush up, the skipper
was debating about a trip flare, as the area had
thick trees but no scrub. My killer group was 30
yards from the track, as that was the nearest
cover. Because of that the boss thought that a
small group of VC in darkness could make their
way through unnoticed, so he decided to put in a
trip flare. The lead VC stopped five feet from
the trip flare. In the boss’s words he was
wondering “Had he seen the trip in the fading
light, or was he waiting for his cobbers to
catch up.”
Hosie didn’t wait, and engaged the magic box. In
a flash, off went 12 claymores with white
phosphorous (my sketch shows 11, but my diary
shows 12). I describe it as ugly, powerful and
beautiful, and at the same time there was fire
and a sheet of white. Bill Hartley and his mob
were hooking in well to our left – Smithy’s gun
was firing on our right – but we were the lucky
buggers as they were directly in front of our
group and we knew we had them knackered. The
boss was firing M79
plus
M26 and W.P.
(White Phosphorus) from the launcher. I didn’t
record Jack’s or Andy’s weapons, but I remember
them having
SLRs, and Jack
throwing grenades. When firing ceased, I’d fired
440 rounds at a rapid rate.
We had two enemy still alive, and they were
talking to each other and doing a lot of
moaning. We got our Bushman Scout Phuong to come
around and tell us what the two were yapping
about. One was saying he was 'buku' (mortally)
hit. They had crawled out of the killing area
(not true as we found out next morning) and both
were had it. Phuong couldn’t speak English so in
the dark he was hard to follow. Andy and Hosie
fired
M79s into the
area to try and put them out of their misery. I
said to the boss “Leave the buggers alone
because while they’re yapping we know where they
are”. The skipper replied that you wouldn’t do
that to a kangaroo. Then Jack and the skipper
started throwing grenades, but they couldn’t get
them far enough. It did however stop the two
yapping a little – but the boss wanted to make
sure these two were out of pain. I can tell you
I wasn’t bothered.
Hosie went away to our left and fired a
M79
round directly onto the track. The blast came
back and Hosie dropped – he had received
shrapnel in the upper leg. Jack and Andy got him
and laid him down in my gun position. Jack
applied three field dressings – the boss was in
a lot of pain but refused to take morphine.
During this period the boss was still trying to
give some orders, but Jack cut in, saying “I’m
sorry Sir, but you are unable to command. I’m
taking over”. The boss, to his credit, let Jack
take over and kept quiet. Ian Hosie was one of
the finest commanders a digger could have been
with for two years.
A DUSTOFF arrives at 2215 hours. It hovered
above the trees throwing scrub everywhere. A
Jungle Penetrator was lowered and our
skipper was taken away.
11th February 1970
The next morning, we carried out a sweep,
and I fired another 110 rounds as this occurred.
The end result was five bodies and one heavy
blood trail, which was counted as a kill. There
were two drag marks into the scrub on the far
side of the ambush, which could have been WIAs,
but we will never know as we didn’t follow up.
One VC attracted our attention – he had taken
off his webbing and placed it with his money
neatly beside him. He died with his hands behind
his head and a slight grin on his face, as if to
say “If I’m going to die, I’m going to die
happy”.
2 Section moved out of the LZ with 3
AK47s,
documents and captured gear, and brought back a
resupply of ammo. We then carried out admin
tasks. We moved out at 1100 hours with 2 Section
leading to a LZ, 2000 yards away. We got there
in good time as the going was OK. 8 Platoon were
already there, with 'tracks' (APCs). 9 Platoon,
CHQ and tanks came in after us.
They were all pleased with our effort. I was
proud of 7 Platoon (Yep, that’s what I wrote!).
Our platoon is being split up, with our section
going to 9 Platoon, and we’re not happy, but the
OC told us that this had to occur as we were so
severely under strength. 9 Platoon has a SGT in
charge. 2Lt Lambert is back in Nui Dat with hand
or finger trouble.
Below is a photo of Hosie’s Magic Box, and my
sketch of the ambush.
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